System, method and apparatus for call screening

ABSTRACT

Techniques, systems, apparatuses and methods to better interdict or screen calls without disturbing the callee. The phone user can implement a warning for unwanted human, i.e., live person callers, and a challenge or barrier for unwanted automated or robocalling, particularly the usage of a required response to a question. The warning and particularly the challenge would weed out undesired solicitations. The present invention also makes allowance for desired human, robotic or automated calling in addition to the proscripted calls.

RELATED PATENT APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of pending U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 14/084,465, filed Nov. 19, 2013, now U.S. Pat. No. 9,386,149,issued on Jul. 5, 2016, entitled “System, Method And Apparatus For CallScreening,” and also claims priority from U.S. Provisional PatentApplication Ser. No. 61/747,882, filed Dec. 31, 2012, entitled “CallScreening Phone,” the disclosures of which are incorporated by referenceherein in their entireties.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Over the past century, the telephone has become an ubiquitous deviceused by the vast majority of humans across the planet.Telecommunications networks and other infrastructure have developed tosupport the mass communication between people. Over the last fewdecades, interconnectivity has increased and mobile phones and now smartphones are prevalent.

Also prevalent are advertisements and telemarketers who make incessantphone calls to potential or actual customers. With the great decrease incost of phones and calling, the pace of telemarketing has increased.Further, telemarketers are not geographically bound to the region oftheir callees. Indeed, India and other English-speaking countries withcheap labor costs have increased the range of telemarketingsubstantially.

Concomitant with the rise in telecommunications capabilities is theenormous increase in automation, e.g., robocalling. Automated calls areemployed in numerous contexts, such as politics and local government,but telemarketing usages prevail. The advantages of these calls fortelemarketers are manifest, but the annoyance factor to those receivingunwanted calls, whether automated or live, is quite large. Prior arttechniques to combat these calls are not adequate to interdict them,i.e., the robocalls tend to get through to the victims, whose onlyrecourse is to hang up.

There is, therefore, a need for an improved technique to interdictunwanted calls, particularly robocalls, which preserves the normalfunctioning of the phone, and handles the undesired calls before ringingand disturbing the callee.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is directed to techniques, systems, apparatusesand methods to better interdict or screen calls without disturbing thecallee. The phone user can implement a warning for unwanted human, i.e.,live person callers, and a challenge or barrier for unwantedrobocalling, particularly the usage of a required response to aquestion. The warning and particularly the challenge would weed outundesired solicitations. Of course, the present invention also makesallowance for desired human, robotic or automated calling in addition tothe proscripted calls.

In this manner, the apparatus, system and methodology of the presentinvention can ease one of the more troubling side-effects of the presentage, unsolicited phone advertising.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

While the specification concludes with claims particularly pointing outand distinctly claiming the subject matter that is regarded as formingthe present invention, it is believed that the invention will be betterunderstood from the following description taken in conjunction with theaccompanying DRAWINGS, where like reference numerals designate likestructural and other elements, in which:

FIG. 1 is a flowchart view of an embodiment of a telephone screeningmethodology and configuration according the present invention; and

FIG. 2 is an illustration of a system and apparatus employing theprinciples of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PRESENT INVENTION

The following detailed description is presented to enable any personskilled in the art to make and use the invention. For purposes ofexplanation, specific nomenclature is set forth to provide a thoroughunderstanding of the present invention. However, it will be apparent toone skilled in the art that these specific details are not required topractice the invention. Descriptions of specific applications areprovided only as representative examples. Various modifications to thepreferred embodiments will be readily apparent to one skilled in theart, and the general principles defined herein may be applied to otherembodiments and applications without departing from the scope of theinvention. The present invention is not intended to be limited to theembodiments shown, but is to be accorded the widest possible scopeconsistent with the principles and features disclosed herein.

With reference now to FIG. 1 of the DRAWINGS, there is illustratedtherein a flowchart illustration of an embodiment of the call screeningphone methodology and configuration of the present invention.

As illustrated, an incoming call, generally designated by the referencenumeral 100, is received. A prerecorded message, generally designated bythe reference numeral 101, is then played to the caller prior to thesignal reaching the callee, i.e., the message 101 is played before thephone rings. As shown in FIG. 1, an incoming call, generally designatedby the reference numeral 100, is received. The caller's phone number ischecked against a whitelist or allowed list, generally designated by thereference numeral 101, which contains the phone numbers of all of theautomated calling services desired by the user, such as for schoolsalerting parents about their children, a doctor alerting their patientsabout a visit or test results, a pharmacy alerting patients about theirprescriptions, or road closings or other alerts regarding weather ordanger. If the caller's phone number is contained in the whitelist, thenthe steps generally designated by the reference numerals 102, 103, and104, described in detail hereinbelow, are bypassed, and the phone rings,generally designated by the reference numeral 105; otherwise, aprerecorded message, generally designated by the reference numeral 102,is then played to the caller prior to the signal reaching the callee,i.e., the message 102 is played before the phone rings.

The message 102 preferably has at least three parts, each with adistinct purpose. The first part identifies the callee, and is intendedto screen out those callers who have mistakenly dialed the callee'snumber. The second part is a warning to telemarketers that the callee isnot interested in receiving calls about products or services,particularly their offered products and services. The third and finalpart is a challenge question, requiring an answer, which is designed tointerdict and block robotic or automated calls. This third part has theeffect of also screening out calls made by children playing with thephone and dialing numbers at random.

It should be understood that the message may consist of variousdifferent phraseologies. An example of one message 102 implementing theabove three parts is as follows:

-   -   This is the John Doe residence. If you are calling to sell a        product or service, ask for a donation, or conduct a survey,        then we are not interested. Otherwise, enter the number of        months in a year.

As indicated, the challenge question should have a numeric response,i.e., punching or entering a particular number or numbers. It should beunderstood that the particular answer to the challenge question may bestored in a memory, such as memory 210 in FIG. 2 of the DRAWINGS, forlater reference in matching the caller's answer to the particularquestion, and either denying the call or allowing the phone to ring.

It should also be understood, however, that an oral response couldalternatively be entered to answer the challenge question, i.e.,“Twelve,” and the present invention would have a processor, such asprocessor 220 in FIG. 2, to analyze and determine the sufficiency of theresponse, whether numerical, textual, oral or otherwise, e.g., graphicalor visual. With the increasing sophistication of robocalling andartificial intelligence, the employment of such a complex verbalresponse may be necessary to combat robocalls.

For example, as shown in FIG. 2, a phone, generally designated by thereference numeral 200, has memory 210, which may include a program oralgorithm therein to process speech. A processor 220 processes theanswers, as discussed. As shown in FIG. 2, processor 220 is resident. Ofcourse, the phone, either wireline or wireless, may have access to aprocessor elsewhere, i.e., not resident, to decipher spoken words,phrases, symbols, etc., and accord the response to the challengequestion, e.g., across a telecommunications network, generallydesignated by the reference numeral 230. For example, an oral challengequestion could be “Who was the Third President of the United States?”Unless the response is processed and ascertained to be “ThomasJefferson” or “Jefferson” the answer is incorrect. It should also beunderstood that in another embodiment the caller may input textcorresponding to the answer, such as “Jefferson” in letters, which theprocessor 220 would interpret and accord with the particular answer. Itshould be understood that memory 210 may contain the whitelist ofapproved callers or the list may reside elsewhere, accessible via thetelecommunications network 230. It should be understood that texting andother such capabilities are within the purview of the instant invention,and the principles of the present invention readily applicable thereto.

Nonetheless, in most embodiments, a numerical response to the challengequestion should suffice, at least for another decade. It should, ofcourse, be understood, however, that verbal response challenge questionsare also contemplated by the instant invention.

With reference again to FIG. 1, after playing the message 102, thecaller may not answer the question, e.g., the robocall does notunderstand and fails to answer, or it (or perhaps a child) enters anincorrect response within the allotted time period, e.g., 5-10 seconds,as indicated by the decision, generally designated by the referencenumeral 103. If there is no answer, then the call is terminated,generally designated by the reference numeral 104, without disturbingthe callee, i.e., the call is entirely interdicted and there is no ring.The callee is left undisturbed and without the annoyance (or evenawareness) of the unwanted call.

If the answer is correct, however, then the call goes through and thephone rings, generally designated by the reference numeral 105. Fromthis point further the call screening phone operates like a phone with abuilt-in conventional answering machine.

For example, if the callee answers the ringing phone, generallydesignated by the reference numeral 106, then the caller and calleeconverse, generally designated by the reference numeral 107. If not,then after a preset number of rings, the phone plays another messageprerecorded by the user, generally designated by the reference numeral108, which directs the caller to leave a message as well as theirinformation, generally designated by the reference numeral 109. If thereis no message, then the phone hangs up, generally designated by thereference numeral 110. Otherwise, where the callee answers the phonewhile the caller is leaving the message, generally designated by thereference numeral 111, then the recording process is interrupted and thecaller and callee converse, generally designated by the referencenumeral 112. Otherwise, if the message is not interrupted, then thecaller finishes the message, generally designated by the referencenumeral 113, and the call terminates, generally designated by thereference numeral 114. It should, of course, be understood that thecallee may listen to the recording message until the caller identifiesthemselves before deciding whether or not to answer the phone.

As indicated, robotic or automated calling, although generally unwantedby most users, may be desirable in certain circumstances, e.g., as partof a subscription service. One quite useful service is for schoolsalerting parents about their children, a doctor alerting their patientsabout a visit or test results, a pharmacy alerting patients about theirprescriptions, or road closings or other alerts regarding weather orother danger-related issues. With the growing sophistication of suchservices and rise in automation, there may well be a need for many suchrobocalling-type services.

Preferred methods and apparatus for practicing the present inventionhave been described. It will be understood and readily apparent to theskilled artisan that many changes and modifications may be made to theabove-described embodiments without departing from the spirit and thescope of the present invention. The foregoing is illustrative only andthat other embodiments of the integrated processes and apparatus may beemployed without departing from the true scope of the invention definedin the following claims.

1. A call screen apparatus for a telephone comprising: a warningmessage, said warning message of a callee played upon receipt of anincoming telephone call of a caller, said warning message including aaudible challenge question, said challenge question having a particularanswer thereto, wherein said challenge question is comprehensible to andanswerable by a human caller who answers said challenge question withsaid particular answer, but said challenge question is incomprehensibleto non-human callers; wherein, if there is no answer to said challengequestion from said caller, the incoming telephone call is terminatedprior to ringing said callee; wherein, if an answer is received fromsaid caller that does not match said particular answer, the incomingtelephone call is terminated prior to ringing said callee; and wherein,if an answer is received from said caller that matches said particularanswer, the incoming telephone call is connected and rings to saidcallee, whereby said call screen apparatus screens out non-humantelemarketer calls that the callee is not interested in receiving. 2.The call screen apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said warningmessage includes a first part identifying said callee.
 3. The callscreen apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said warning messageincludes a second part warning telemarketers of non-interest by callee.4. The call screen apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said warningmessage includes a third part comprising said challenge question.
 5. Thecall screen apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said particularanswer is stored in a memory within said call screen apparatus.
 6. Thecall screen apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said particularanswer is selected from the group consisting of: numerals, textmessages, symbols, spoken words, and spoken phrases.
 7. The call screenapparatus according to claim 1, wherein, after playing said warningmessage, the callee is given a time period to enter said answer.
 8. Thecall screen apparatus according to claim 7, wherein said time period isabout 5 to about 10 seconds.
 9. The call screen apparatus according toclaim 1, further comprising: a processor, said processor determiningwhether or not said answer from said caller matches said particularanswer of said callee.
 10. The call screen apparatus according to claim9, wherein said processor is resident.
 11. The call screen apparatusaccording to claim 9, wherein said processor is non-resident.
 12. Thecall screen apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: ananswering machine.
 13. The call screen apparatus according to claim 1,further comprising: a whitelist, wherein if the caller is on saidwhitelist, said incoming call is immediately routed through to saidcallee.
 14. The call screen apparatus according to claim 13, whereinsaid whitelist is preloaded into a memory connected to said call screenapparatus.
 15. The call screen apparatus according to claim 13, whereinsaid caller on said whitelist is selected from the group consisting ofemergency telephone and text numbers, school telephone and text numbers,physician or health professional telephone and text numbers, a pharmacytelephone and text numbers, municipal or governmental telephone and textnumbers, weather service telephone and text numbers, and otherdanger-related telephone and text numbers.
 16. The call screen apparatusaccording to claim 1, wherein said telephone is selected from the groupconsisting of a wireline telephone, a wireless telephone, a personaldigital assistant (PDA), a smart phone, a mobile phone and othertelecommunications devices.
 17. A call screen system comprising: ananswering device; a warning message, said warning message of a calleeplayed to a caller upon receipt of an incoming phone call from saidcaller, said warning message including an audible challenge question,said challenge question having a particular answer thereto; wherein saidchallenge question is comprehensible to and answerable by a human callerwho answers said challenge question with said particular answer, butsaid challenge question is incomprehensible to non-human callers;wherein, if there is no answer to said challenge question from saidcaller, the incoming telephone call is terminated prior to ringing saidcallee; wherein, if an answer is received from said caller that does notmatch said particular answer, the incoming telephone call is terminatedprior to ringing said callee; and wherein, if an answer is received fromsaid caller that matches said particular answer, the incoming telephonecall is connected and rings to said callee, whereby said call screenapparatus screens out non-human telemarketer calls that the callee isnot interested in receiving.
 18. A method for screening incomingtelephone calls from a caller to a callee comprising: receiving anincoming telephone call from said caller at a screening device; uponreceipt of said incoming telephone call, said screening device plays awarning message to said caller, said warning message including anaudible challenge question, said challenge question having a particularanswer thereto; waiting for an answer from said caller; wherein saidchallenge question is comprehensible to and answerable by a human callerwho answers said challenge question with said particular answer, butsaid challenge question is incomprehensible to non-human callers;wherein, if there is no answer to said challenge question from saidcaller, the incoming telephone call is terminated prior to ringing saidcallee; wherein, if an answer is received from said caller that does notmatch said particular answer, the incoming telephone call is terminatedprior to ringing said callee; and wherein, if an answer is received fromsaid caller that matches said particular answer, the incoming telephonecall is connected and rings to said callee, whereby said call screeningdevice screens out non-human telemarketer calls that the callee is notinterested in receiving.